Homework
Expectations
~Attempt every assignment
~ Turn assignment(s) in on time
~ Take pride in your work
~ Show effort
Your child's daily homework assignments will be written in his/her planner. Please check the planner and sign it each day. This is a way for us to work together to develop a routine and encourage positive study habits. I will check planners each day. Your child will have homework each day Monday through Thursday. Homework given purposely highlights and incorporates time management and long-range planning and organizational skills. I usually do not give homework on the weekends. Specific information pertaining to homework in each subject area is posted below. Questions and comments related to homework will be addressed throughout September as the routines and expectations begin to take shape throughput the month.
Reading
Students are expected to read for a minimum of 20 minutes per day outside of school. A monthly reading calendar and a corresponding genre-specific activity will be sent home each month. The assigned monthly genres are listed here:
September- Realistic Fiction
October-Mystery
November-Historical Fiction
December-Folk , Fairy Tales or Fantasy
January-Survival/Adventure
February- Biography
March- Poetry, Mythology
April- Informational /Non-Fiction
May- Science Fiction
Students are encouraged to choose a "Good Fit" book within their lexile/reading level to read independently outside of school. In addition, students will be required to track books read and log the number of minutes read per day. Also, several other reading incentive programs will be ongoing throughout the year:
Mrs. Cichocki's Reading Beads: 100 minutes=1 bead
Darien Lake's "Read To Ride" Program
Parkdale PTO's incentive: "Rising Star Readers"
Freckle Website
Freckle empowers teachers to differentiate instruction across Math, ELA, Social Studies and Science.
This website allows students to go and select an article to read. Any online reading assignments will be noted in your child's planner. They’ll get to choose from Biographies, Careers, Food, Personal Interest, Science, Social Studies, and Technology. This will make it easier for students to find articles related to their personal interests. Students will be exposed to Freckle’s brand-new Fiction Stories in the ELA Article Library. There are currently 75 stories in the library. Most stories are available in three different reading levels, and each of your students will read the version that’s appropriate for their own reading level.
Study Island (ELA)
Study Island is a web-based subscription site that the EA school district has purchased. It supports the learning process and builds off of your students’ enthusiasm for technology with engaging, interactive lessons and activities. It is designed so students can work through the web-based program at their own pace, but teachers can also guide students through the program. At a later time (October-November) students will be assigned two to three online lessons to complete independently each month. The assignments can be completed at any convenient time- but must be submitted before the last day of the month. Any online reading assignments will be noted in your child's planner.
Writing
WORD NERD EXPERTS
Everyday in class, students are expected to paste a WORD Nerd vocabulary word (Strip of paper) into their notebook and will engage in some exploratory thinking and writing. I look forward to watching the children develop a genuine curiosity for and interest in new and unique words by expanding their vocabulary on a daily basis. By playing with words, word patterns, word families, prefixes, suffixes, and so on, students hone their knowledge of words and increase their speaking and writing skills. At the beginning of the year, we will begin with using the word correctly in context in a well-constructed sentence. As time moves forward, students will be writing paragraphs that contain the vocabulary word. I challenge them to try to include past words in their writing as well!
O.M.O. Writing
Students are also expected to include ONE "On My Own" entry (topic of their choice) on a sheet of tablet paper once every other week independently at home. The children will be asked to write using different genres: informational, narrative, persuasive and poetry. This 20 minute independent writing activity should not be a final copy- just a draft. It can be completed on any given day but should be handed in on Tuesday of the following week. It will be read by Mrs. Cichocki and returned so students can revise and edit it based upon the mini lessons I have taught in class during the week of school. Students will be expected to publish four final pieces of writing that they are proud of by the end of the year reflecting all four writing genres.
Friendly Letters (just Mrs. Cichocki's homeroom)
Students will be interviewing their classmates as part of our "Student of the Week" celebrations. After taking investigative notes during the interview, students will be expected to independently compose a friendly letter to the student of the week for homework. Since there are 23 students in our class, the children will compose 22 friendly letters over the course of the school year! Letters created by classmates will be compiled into a keepsake book distributed to each student of the week during their celebration week!
Spelling
Helping children to develop a positive attitude towards spelling in the early years has a long-term impact on their lives. Poor spelling skills can result in underestimating a student’s true potential. In addition, spelling errors can distract readers from the intended message which can translate into missed opportunities.
The major goal of writing this year in room 264 will be the expression and communication of ideas. This year during ELA, students will experiment with memorizing high frequency spelling words for a weekly test on Thursday of each week. Word lists will be distributed on the Friday before and will contain ten words from the high frequency list along with two bonus words that each child will individually detect and choose from their own personal spelling errors. As a result, our shared goal will be to instill a desire to spell words correctly while perfecting your child’s ability to detect and correct spelling errors as they craft their own pieces of writing. When writing a draft , I will be asking students to underline the words that they are unsure of how to spell while composing so that their fluency is not interrupted. Writers who must think too hard about how to spell, use up valuable brain power needed for higher level composition. Writing is a mental juggling act that depends on using basic skills with automaticity (ex. handwriting, spelling, grammar, and punctuation) so that the writer can focus on topic, organization, word choice, voice and audience needs. Poor spellers may restrict what they write to only using the words they can spell, with inevitable loss of verbal power, or they may lose track of their thoughts when they get stuck trying to spell a word.
Students will not benefit from practicing their spelling words in isolation (only memorized for the test on Thursday). It is just as important for them to use and read the words regularly in context. There will be multiple opportunities for students to do this throughout the year in the classroom during instruction and when crafting friendly letters to their classmates when they are the “Student of the Week” . Each week for homework, I will expect that the children will create one high level sentence for each word on their weekly list using correct grammar and punctuation-to be turned in on Wednesday before the the Thursday test. In addition , students are encouraged to use a variety of sentence structures and types (exclamatory, interrogative , declarative and imperative). Students who welcome a more rigorous challenge are invited to create paragraphs or a composition that contains all twelve words used appropriately together in context.
G.U.M. anyone? Grammar.Usage.Mechanics.
In Room 264, we strive to become Grammar Keepers! What’s the scoop? Embedded into our Word Nerd Expert daily journal writing, we use students’ own writing as models for discussion and practice of basic grammar, usage and mechanics.
Students are much more interested in learning from one another than from isolated practice worksheets. They also LOVE to show off their expressive, fluent voices when using the microphone! The mini lessons transfer into students’ speaking, thinking, reading, and writing. I believe this approach allows students to implement and master the lessons on punctuation, usage, and sentence structure in an authentic context. I invite students to make grammatical choices when they write in their Word Nerd Expert Journal as well as when they craft their weekly friendly letters to each Student of the Week. After guided practice, a short quiz is given so students can “show what they know”! Working toward lifelong mastery is the goal. Students who master the quiz may choose between a “G.U.Mball” or a “scratch and sniff” sticker! Students are encouraged to use the “keepers” regularly in their writing along with the daily "Word Nerd" vocabulary words they are exposed each and everyday!
Project-Based Learning
Students will be asked to complete several projects throughout the year with some of the preliminary work being done at school, but the majority of the work/finishing touches being completed at home. Specific project details and rubrics will be shared throughout the year.
~Attempt every assignment
~ Turn assignment(s) in on time
~ Take pride in your work
~ Show effort
Your child's daily homework assignments will be written in his/her planner. Please check the planner and sign it each day. This is a way for us to work together to develop a routine and encourage positive study habits. I will check planners each day. Your child will have homework each day Monday through Thursday. Homework given purposely highlights and incorporates time management and long-range planning and organizational skills. I usually do not give homework on the weekends. Specific information pertaining to homework in each subject area is posted below. Questions and comments related to homework will be addressed throughout September as the routines and expectations begin to take shape throughput the month.
Reading
Students are expected to read for a minimum of 20 minutes per day outside of school. A monthly reading calendar and a corresponding genre-specific activity will be sent home each month. The assigned monthly genres are listed here:
September- Realistic Fiction
October-Mystery
November-Historical Fiction
December-Folk , Fairy Tales or Fantasy
January-Survival/Adventure
February- Biography
March- Poetry, Mythology
April- Informational /Non-Fiction
May- Science Fiction
Students are encouraged to choose a "Good Fit" book within their lexile/reading level to read independently outside of school. In addition, students will be required to track books read and log the number of minutes read per day. Also, several other reading incentive programs will be ongoing throughout the year:
Mrs. Cichocki's Reading Beads: 100 minutes=1 bead
Darien Lake's "Read To Ride" Program
Parkdale PTO's incentive: "Rising Star Readers"
Freckle Website
Freckle empowers teachers to differentiate instruction across Math, ELA, Social Studies and Science.
This website allows students to go and select an article to read. Any online reading assignments will be noted in your child's planner. They’ll get to choose from Biographies, Careers, Food, Personal Interest, Science, Social Studies, and Technology. This will make it easier for students to find articles related to their personal interests. Students will be exposed to Freckle’s brand-new Fiction Stories in the ELA Article Library. There are currently 75 stories in the library. Most stories are available in three different reading levels, and each of your students will read the version that’s appropriate for their own reading level.
Study Island (ELA)
Study Island is a web-based subscription site that the EA school district has purchased. It supports the learning process and builds off of your students’ enthusiasm for technology with engaging, interactive lessons and activities. It is designed so students can work through the web-based program at their own pace, but teachers can also guide students through the program. At a later time (October-November) students will be assigned two to three online lessons to complete independently each month. The assignments can be completed at any convenient time- but must be submitted before the last day of the month. Any online reading assignments will be noted in your child's planner.
Writing
WORD NERD EXPERTS
Everyday in class, students are expected to paste a WORD Nerd vocabulary word (Strip of paper) into their notebook and will engage in some exploratory thinking and writing. I look forward to watching the children develop a genuine curiosity for and interest in new and unique words by expanding their vocabulary on a daily basis. By playing with words, word patterns, word families, prefixes, suffixes, and so on, students hone their knowledge of words and increase their speaking and writing skills. At the beginning of the year, we will begin with using the word correctly in context in a well-constructed sentence. As time moves forward, students will be writing paragraphs that contain the vocabulary word. I challenge them to try to include past words in their writing as well!
O.M.O. Writing
Students are also expected to include ONE "On My Own" entry (topic of their choice) on a sheet of tablet paper once every other week independently at home. The children will be asked to write using different genres: informational, narrative, persuasive and poetry. This 20 minute independent writing activity should not be a final copy- just a draft. It can be completed on any given day but should be handed in on Tuesday of the following week. It will be read by Mrs. Cichocki and returned so students can revise and edit it based upon the mini lessons I have taught in class during the week of school. Students will be expected to publish four final pieces of writing that they are proud of by the end of the year reflecting all four writing genres.
Friendly Letters (just Mrs. Cichocki's homeroom)
Students will be interviewing their classmates as part of our "Student of the Week" celebrations. After taking investigative notes during the interview, students will be expected to independently compose a friendly letter to the student of the week for homework. Since there are 23 students in our class, the children will compose 22 friendly letters over the course of the school year! Letters created by classmates will be compiled into a keepsake book distributed to each student of the week during their celebration week!
Spelling
Helping children to develop a positive attitude towards spelling in the early years has a long-term impact on their lives. Poor spelling skills can result in underestimating a student’s true potential. In addition, spelling errors can distract readers from the intended message which can translate into missed opportunities.
The major goal of writing this year in room 264 will be the expression and communication of ideas. This year during ELA, students will experiment with memorizing high frequency spelling words for a weekly test on Thursday of each week. Word lists will be distributed on the Friday before and will contain ten words from the high frequency list along with two bonus words that each child will individually detect and choose from their own personal spelling errors. As a result, our shared goal will be to instill a desire to spell words correctly while perfecting your child’s ability to detect and correct spelling errors as they craft their own pieces of writing. When writing a draft , I will be asking students to underline the words that they are unsure of how to spell while composing so that their fluency is not interrupted. Writers who must think too hard about how to spell, use up valuable brain power needed for higher level composition. Writing is a mental juggling act that depends on using basic skills with automaticity (ex. handwriting, spelling, grammar, and punctuation) so that the writer can focus on topic, organization, word choice, voice and audience needs. Poor spellers may restrict what they write to only using the words they can spell, with inevitable loss of verbal power, or they may lose track of their thoughts when they get stuck trying to spell a word.
Students will not benefit from practicing their spelling words in isolation (only memorized for the test on Thursday). It is just as important for them to use and read the words regularly in context. There will be multiple opportunities for students to do this throughout the year in the classroom during instruction and when crafting friendly letters to their classmates when they are the “Student of the Week” . Each week for homework, I will expect that the children will create one high level sentence for each word on their weekly list using correct grammar and punctuation-to be turned in on Wednesday before the the Thursday test. In addition , students are encouraged to use a variety of sentence structures and types (exclamatory, interrogative , declarative and imperative). Students who welcome a more rigorous challenge are invited to create paragraphs or a composition that contains all twelve words used appropriately together in context.
G.U.M. anyone? Grammar.Usage.Mechanics.
In Room 264, we strive to become Grammar Keepers! What’s the scoop? Embedded into our Word Nerd Expert daily journal writing, we use students’ own writing as models for discussion and practice of basic grammar, usage and mechanics.
Students are much more interested in learning from one another than from isolated practice worksheets. They also LOVE to show off their expressive, fluent voices when using the microphone! The mini lessons transfer into students’ speaking, thinking, reading, and writing. I believe this approach allows students to implement and master the lessons on punctuation, usage, and sentence structure in an authentic context. I invite students to make grammatical choices when they write in their Word Nerd Expert Journal as well as when they craft their weekly friendly letters to each Student of the Week. After guided practice, a short quiz is given so students can “show what they know”! Working toward lifelong mastery is the goal. Students who master the quiz may choose between a “G.U.Mball” or a “scratch and sniff” sticker! Students are encouraged to use the “keepers” regularly in their writing along with the daily "Word Nerd" vocabulary words they are exposed each and everyday!
Project-Based Learning
Students will be asked to complete several projects throughout the year with some of the preliminary work being done at school, but the majority of the work/finishing touches being completed at home. Specific project details and rubrics will be shared throughout the year.
- Academic Vocabulary Ring in Science
- Completion of field journals in Science
- Salt Map of New York State
- Native American Project
- Social Studies Lapbook Creation for specific units of study in Social Studies